''Luisa Sanfelice'' is a 2004 Italian

historical film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

directed by

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...

. It stars

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

and was co-produced between Italy and France. It is an adaptation of a book by Alexandre Dumas.

Plot

The film is about the life of Luisa Sanfelice, a young member of the Neapolitan nobility who is in love with a republican, Salvato Palmieri. In the wake of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

a Napoleonic army led by general Jean-Étienne Championnet enters in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. Horatio Nelson receives the duty to organise the exile of King Ferdinand to Palermo. After the court has fled the

Parthenopean Republic The Parthenopean Republic ( it, Repubblica Partenopea, french: République Parthénopéenne) or Neapolitan Republic (''Repubblica Napoletana'') was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the ...

is proclaimed in January 1799. Also Luisa's husband, Cavaliere Luciano Sanfelice, has gone, but she stays. Luisa becomes the symbol of the hatred nobility though she supports the revolution. In June of the same year Naples is taken by the royalist troops conducted by cardinal

Fabrizio Ruffo Fabrizio Dionigi Ruffo (16 September 1744 – 13 December 1827) was an Italian cardinal and politician, who led the popular anti-republican ''Sanfedismo'' movement (whose members were known as the ''Sanfedisti''). Biography Ruffo was born at ...

. Ferdinand returns to the town: with his well-known brutality he orders several massacres and the elimination of all opponents. 50000 Neapoletans are left dead. Disregarding the outrage of the population Ferdinand puts Luisa to death on 11 September 1800.

Cast

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

Luisa Sanfelice Luisa or Luigia Sanfelice (1764–1800) was an Italian aristocrat who was executed by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies because of her involvement with the French-backed Parthenopean Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, although Sanfelice ...

Adriano Giannini Adriano Giannini (born 10 May 1971) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Giannini was born in Rome to actors Giancarlo Giannini and Livia Giampalmo. He began his career when he was eighteen years old. His most notable role was alo ...

as Salvato Palmieri *

Cecilia Roth Cecilia Edith Rotenberg Gutkin better known as Cecilia Roth (; born August 8, 1956) is an Argentine actress. She is the winner of two Goya Awards and a European Film Award. She is known for being an " Almodóvar girl" and the "muse" of Fito P ...

as Maria Carolina * Marie Baumer as

Lady Emma Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...

Emilio Solfrizzi Emilio Solfrizzi (born 5 April 1962) is an Italian actor and comedian. Life and career Born in Bari, in 1985 Solfrizzi graduated in performing arts at the Bologna University.Giorgio Dell’Arti, Massimo Parrini. ''Catalogo dei viventi''. M ...

as King Ferdinand I *

Lello Arena Raffaele "Lello" Arena (born 1 November 1953) is an Italian actor and comics writer. He was also an occasional film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Naples as Raffaele Arena, he was the son of two workers in a tobacco fact ...

as Pasquale De Simone * Linda Batista as Eleonora de Fonseca Pimentel *

Mariano Rigillo Mariano Rigillo (born 12 September 1939) is an Italian actor. Biography In the 1960s, Rigillo attended the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts and began his career on stage playing roles in plays by William Shakespeare, Carlo Go ...

as Cavaliere Luciano Sanfelice *

Carmelo Gómez Carmelo Gómez Celada (born 2 January 1962) is a Spanish actor. He is the recipient of two Goya Awards, for best supporting actor in '' The Method'' and best leading actor in '' Running Out of Time''. A very popular actor in 1990s Spanish cine ...

as Cardinal

* Jean-Yves Berteloot as Jean-Étienne Championnet *

Margarita Lozano Margarita de las Flores Lozano Jiménez (14 February 1931 – 7 February 2022) was a Spanish actress known for her career in Italian films. She worked for Luis Buñuel in '' Viridiana'', Sergio Leone in ''A Fistful of Dollars'', Pier Paolo Pas ...

as Marga * Johannes Silberschneider as Horatio Nelson * Yari Gugliucci as Michele * Teresa Saponangelo as Assunta * José Ángel Egido as Dottore Cirillo

References

External links

* 2004 films 2004 television films Italian television films French television films 2000s Italian-language films 2000s historical drama films Films based on works by Alexandre Dumas Films directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani French historical drama films Italian historical drama films Films set in Naples Films set in 1799 Films set in 1800 Cultural depictions of Emma, Lady Hamilton Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson 2004 drama films Films scored by Nicola Piovani Cultural depictions of Italian women Television shows based on works by Alexandre Dumas 2000s Italian films 2000s French films {{historic-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links